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September 2016

Origami Page

Origami Page: Elephant

Mary Ellen Palmeri

Welcome to our monthly "Origami Page". Origami is folding paper
and ending up with delightful figures and models, such as flowers, boxes and animals.
This feature will showcase a different origami model in each monthly issue, with
diagrams and photos to help readers learn how to fold them. Most models use one
square of paper, some use a rectangle, and others use more than one piece of paper.

I chose an elephant for this month's model because of a "Call for Elephants"
put out by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The request is two-fold: They are
attempting to break the Guinness World Records™ title for the largest display
of origami elephants - AND - their goal is to reach 35,000 origami elephants to
bring attention to the 35,000 elephants that are killed each year for their ivory.

The address to send elephants to is: Wildlife Conservation Society; c/o Rachel
Libretti; 2300 Southern Boulevard; Bronx, NY 10460.
If you'd like to participate you would have to send your model(s) to them by September
16, so hopefully you'll see this posting before then! If not, you can still enjoy
this fun model.

The original design doesn't include the 'pajama' aspect, but when it was introduced
to me it was called "Elephant in Pajamas". I don't know who originated that perspective
but it has been the most popular when I teach this model, using colorful paper when
folding the 'legs' they become pajamas!

A few fun facts about real elephants: Males and females live
different lifestyles. Females stay with their herd for life while males strike out
on their own at about 13yrs - and males interact with more than one herd. Herds
are usually led by the oldest female, and their members form strong bonds. The closely
knit females help each other look after the young and pass on social and survival
skills to the younger members of the herd.

Happy folding!

Origami originated in ancient Asian cultures and has been adapted by contemporary
artists worldwide to reflect their own cultures. Local artist Mary Ellen Palmeri
has incorporated paper folding into many of her mixed media art paintings, and teaches
origami classes locally and nationally. Some of her work can be seen in a Tucson
Happenings feature here:
Artist_Profile

Ms. Palmeri's original origami models have been published in books and magazines,
she has been featured on broadcast media, and her mixed-media fine art works often
include various original origami models. Origami LAFF (Lyric Arts Folding Fest)
is a Tucson based club founded by Ms. Palmeri to provide a venue for sharing this
art. The group meets monthly at a local library; for more details please contact
the artist at info@lyric-arts.com